Quebec Moves Forward With Plan To Ban IVF For Women Over 42

A new Quebec bill is causing quite the stir with it’s plan to ban in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for women over 42.

According to CTV, if Bill 20 passes, it would make it illegal for women over 42 to undergo IVF even if she uses her own eggs she had frozen years before or the eggs of a younger donor. The bill would also allow the province to fine doctors $50,000 if they perform IVF on patients over 42 or refer them to IVF clinics in other provinces.

Back in 2010, Quebec began offering unlimited medicare in assistive reproductive technologies (ART), a program that’s claimed to be widely abused. While official reasons for the new proposed age restriction isn’t clear, many speculate that the Quebec government is trying to save money on healthcare. Since babies and their older mothers are at greater risk of medical complications, some say the Quebec government is trying to free themselves from covering those medical costs.

Not only would the bill implement an age restriction but it also bans women from paying for IVF with money from their own pockets. Experts says this will result in “medical tourism,” forcing older women to travel to other provinces in order to receive IVF treatments.

How old is too old to conceive a baby? While the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society has not commented on the matter, the United States supports IVF up until the age of 54, says Today’s Parent.

So what does this all mean? Basically, not only do women have to worry about their own biological clock but they also have to worry about potential provincial laws that ban them from conceiving through nontraditional means. Grrrreat.